THE stage is set for a crunchy weekend as the two leading political parties in the country elect their presidential candidates for the 2023 general election.
The exercise is a climax to the phased primaries of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as the former holds its presidential primary between May 28 and 29, while the latter holds its exercise between May 29 and 30.
The presidential conventions have been preceded with weeks of intense horse-trading, campaign and consultations by the contestants in the individual parties with critical stakeholders, among them, power brokers and prospective delegates across the six geopolitical zones.
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Fourteen out of the initial 15 screened and cleared by the PDP will be slugging it out for its ticket, following the sudden decision of a former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, to call it quits with the main opposition due to irreconcilable differences.
A total of 28 aspirants are seeking the ticket to emerge the standard-bearer of the APC, with the party in dilemma over the mode of primaries to be adopted for the crucial exercise.
The party has postponed the screening exercise more than four times with about 48 hours to the commencement of the primaries.
Neither has the ruling party taken a definite stand on the principle of zoning, while the PDP threw open its presidential ticket to all the geopolitical zones in the country.
Leading the pack of contenders for the ticket of PDP are a former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; former president of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim; Governors of Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi and Sokoto states: NyesomWike, Udom Emmanuel, Bala Mohammed and Aminu Tambuwal, respectively.
The front-runners for the APC ticket include a national leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu; incumbent vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo; president of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan; erstwhile Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Ekiti State governor, Dr KayodeFayemi; former governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State; Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu; ex-Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba; Senator Ajayi Boroffice, former governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okoroacha and former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
Whereas some elders from the northern part of the country facilitated the choice of Saraki and Mohammed as consensus candidates of the North ahead of the primaries, the possibility of APC adopting a consensus option is only being discussed in hushed tones in a few circle within its fold.
A total of 811 delegates are expected to participate in the emergence of the candidate of the PDP, with about 2,800 delegates to decide the fate of the contenders for APC ticket.
Reports last night indicated that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja was characterised by frenzied politicking as thousands and PDP and APC faithful, along with delegates began to arrive early on Thursday.
Nigerian Tribune observed that apart from commercial vehicle operators and the general business owners, the hospitality industry in particular is already harvesting huge patronage and other benefits.
Abuja hotels fully booked ahead of primaries
As delegates of the two parties converge on Abuja for the primaries, hotels and the hospitality sector, in general, is already benefiting from the positive externalities of the convergence.
The 811 PDP delegates for the convention comprise 40 per cent of statutory delegates and 60 percent of elected from 774 local government areas and six area councils of the FCT. In like manner, the ruling APC has a total of 2,340 delegates, consisting of 1,257 from the North and 1,068 from the South.
It is this over 3,000 ‘super’ delegates, since President Muhammadu Buhari is yet to sign the amended Electoral Act altering the number, and other political gladiators that are set to elect the candidates of the parties.
It was observed by Nigerian Tribune across the FCT area of Abuja a massive and huge visitation on hotels and hospitality sector in general.
Police assure of safety The FCT police command has assured the general public of the safety of lives and property during the presidential primaries.
In a statement, FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, quoted the FCT Police Commissioner, Babaji Sunday, as saying, “The events are projected to be characterised by a high influx of people into the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“Consequent upon the above and in a bid to ensure a hitch-free event, the FCT police command has designed a robust security arrangement defined by a generous deployment within and without the election ground and to every nooks and cranny of the Territory.
“The deployment prioritises the protection of lives and properties of all and sundry by emplacing counter-insurgency measures, maintenance of clear road access, robust stop and search at strategic points around the suburbs and city center, effective crowd control and intelligence gathering but to mention a few.”
He charged all his officers and men to discharge their duties with the utmost respect for rights of the people and standard best practices.
I’m the sole runner, delegates must distinguish that –Tinubu
Meanwhile, APC presidential hopeful, Senator Tinubu, on Thursday maintained that he remains the only one prepared to lead the party to victory in 2023.
Tinubu stated this during a meeting with party delegates from Ondo State to solicit their votes, saying he is the “sole runner” and urged the delegates to distinguish the best among the aspirants during the primaries.
He noted that the spirit of togetherness and unity had been missing, expressing optimism that the hope and brightness can be restored if voted for as he added that he has the capacity to fix all the challenges confronting the country.
He said he was not in the race to acquire wealth but to contribute to the development of the country and the people, stressing that qualifying to be president of Nigeria does not require strength but intelligence and smartness to overcome the numerous problems facing the country.
“I, Bola Tinubu, am the sole runner. I know the way, I have seen it. I did it in Lagos. I turned the IGR around. The state is now a reference point. I’ll rebuild and unite, develop Nigeria. We’ll use our diversity for prosperity rather than division.
“When they talk about my health, I tell them, I’m not looking for a wrestling job, I don’t want to beat Ronaldo. I’m a better thinker and a better doer. I want to delegates to distinguish and separate us like a dip of kerosene on top of water.”
Speaking during the visit, Governor Akeredolu said: “A number of aspirants have been here. You can see the difference. You must be able to accept the fact that Asiwaju has done a lot.
“We have said it that Presidency must come to the South. Governors have spoken. By the grace of God, the train of this country must continue to have a smooth ride. As you go to vote, think about Nigeria, think about investment all over the years. You must look at the background and capacity of the person. We wish you the best. You have our good wishes as you proceed. It is only God that will enthrone anybody.”
Atiku releases five-point agenda on economy, political transformation
In the meantime, PDP aspirant, Atiku, said his agenda is built around a well-developed strategy that will revamp Nigeria’s ailing economy and transform the polity.
He said to reform the private sector, his administration would move to liberalise and deregulate the economy in many sectors, provide efficient infrastructure to reduce production cost and provide protection to priority enterprises.
He assured that he will also put in place policies and measures to optimise the growth potentials of real sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing and MSMEs.
The five-point agenda is contained in a policy document released from the campaign office of the former vice president, and it details how the administration would, over the first five years, invest heavily in the needed infrastructure that would result in growth across several sectors.
Core among the infrastructure projects listed are; 25,000 MW of non-renewable energy (hydro, solar, nuclear) and other thermal fuels (coal, biofuel) in addition to natural gas; investing in oil refining infrastructure to double refining capacity to two million barrels per day by 2027; investing in the infrastructure of up to 5,000km of modern railway lines; invest to improve transmission capacity of 10,000 to 15,000MW over the short term with a target of 25,000MW over the long term.
“I am offering myself again to provide the desired leadership. I have a history of economic reform and political transformation. As a private businessman of many years, I have a deep understanding of our economy and its challenges,” he said.
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